Taiao Aronui
Taiao Aronui is an iwi education initiative spearheaded by Rangitāmiro – a collective of four Ngāti Whakaue kura determined to realise mātauranga ā-iwi within science education.
Tuia ki te rangi
Tuia ki te whenua
Tuia ki te moana
Tuia ki te herenga tangata
Ka rongo te pō, ka rongo te ao
Tīhei mauri ora!
Taiao Aronui is an iwi education initiative spearheaded by Rangitāmiro – a collective of Ngāti Whakaue kura determined to realise mātauranga ā-iwi within science education.
Te Whakapapa o Taiao Aronui
In 2019, Royal Society Te Apārangi met with the late Tā Toby Curtis, to explore opportunities for a professional science leadership programme led, designed and delivered by Ngāti Whakaue and Te Arawa for kaiako and kura within the rohe.
Royal Society Te Apārangi, with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, supported the development and delivery of a pilot programme in partnership with kura from Te Arawa.
These kura comprise the school network, Rangitāmiro.
Over an 18-month period, trust was built, a partnership flourished, and the design of Taiao Aronui as a programme emerged.
During this process, Royal Society Te Apārangi worked alongside tumuaki of Rangitāmiro and kaiako specialists to design a programme that was fit-for-purpose, responsive to the needs of Te Arawa, and relevant to their local context.
Initiating from a desire by Tā Toby Curtis for education in Te Arawa to be grounded within its identity and unique environment, a professional science leadership programme has been realised.
Tirohanga whānui – Vision
‘He Mokopuna Taiao, he Mokopuna o te Ao’
Taiao Aronui is a catalyst to transform education within Te Arawa, to raise tamariki mokopuna grounded by their whakapapa to realise their potential.
He Mokopuna Taiao
‘Mokopuna Taiao’, means to be grounded in your whakapapa - knowing who you are, where you come from, the environment that surrounds you, and upholding your responsibilities to the taiao and your whānau, hapū, and iwi.
He Mokopuna o te Ao
Raising ‘Mokopuna Taiao’ instils confidence within our tamariki mokopuna to both recognise and realise their unlimited potential to embrace the opportunities the world has to offer.
This is how we imagine ‘he Mokopuna Taiao, he Mokopuna o te Ao’.
Taiao Aronui is a collective responsibility to our children and our mokopuna.
Whāinga matua – Key Objectives
Through Taiao Aronui, kaiako are given the knowledge, tools, and confidence to:
- Realise mātauranga ā-iwi in the science curriculum
- Reignite mātauranga ā-iwi within our kaiako
- Recognise mātauranga ā-iwi within our tamariki mokopuna
Ngā wānanga
The kaiako and kura of Rangitāmiro participate in a programme delivered through a wānanga approach, a traditional and immersive way of learning, encompassing mātauranga pertaining to the aspects that make up the distinct environment in Te Arawa.
During the school holidays, kaiako dedicate themselves in wānanga to explore:
- Te Ara Ahi - the geothermal wonderland
- Ngā Wai - freshwater lakes and rivers
- Te Whenua - the diverse landscape, and
- Te Ngāhere – native flora and fauna
Through wānanga, kaiako will forge cross-school networks, and connect with local experts and science-sector organisations to restore, renew, and revitalise their knowledge, skills, and practice – enabling them to become leaders of pūtaiao education.
Ngā Puna
Between wānanga, kaiako draw upon Puna, expert support systems to further their development and practice, share and disseminate their learning, and cultivate connections with their community.
Puna focus on two key development areas:
- Ako – Pedagogy and Practice
- Rangahau – Research
Both Puna are led by experts within these fields, and underpinned by te reo me ōna tikanga, matihiko, and rauemi.
Ngā Aho
Taiao Aronui teaches kawa and te reo me ōna tikanga - the Māori language, Te Arawa processes, and protocols.
Taiao Aronui explores pūrakau, waiata, whakairo, karakia, kōrero tuku iho – traditional repositories of knowledge.
Taiao Aronui investigates the synergies between mātauranga Māori and science as bodies of knowledge to enrich science learning and teaching.
Taiao Aronui practices aroha, manaaki, and whanaungatanga – te ao Māori ways of being.
Te Whakamāramatanga o te tohu o Taiao Aronui
This design is embedded with various tohu representing Taiao Aronui.
At the top is the Niho Taniwha tohu which portrays, Ngā Kete o te Wānanga – The Three Baskets of Knowledge, one being Te Kete Aronui.
On either side are ‘Raparapa’ or ‘Ringaringa’ which reflect us as tangata, as people and our physicality.
The Ringaringa reach down to the Pātiki Waharua. This tohu represents the positive and negative balance that is seen in all aspects of the Taiao.
The final four tohu represent the unique landscape of Te Arawa - Wai, Whenua, Ngahere, and Ara Ahi.
Nā Tawhanga Rika @Rauruarts tēnei tohu.
Taiao Aronui brochure by Royal Society Te Apārangi - Issuu